Industry Responds to ISSE Concept of Creating a Professionally Focused Total Beauty Event

Phoenix, AZ (February 1, 2012) – The 2012 International Salon & Spa Expo Long Beach (ISSE Long Beach) re-affirmed its position as the West Coast’s biggest and best total beauty event as an energetic crowd of over 40,000 beauty professionals (up slightly from 2011) from around the world attended the show. Produced by the Professional Beauty Association (PBA), the ISSE concept has evolved beyond the traditional “hair show” to a complete beauty event relating to hair, nails, cosmetics, esthetics, wellness, massage, and advanced education.

Known as the launching place for new beauty products and services, ISSE Long Beach featured a sold-out expo floor, consisting of more than 400 leading beauty brands. Ranging from international beauty leaders that included BaBylissPRO, Clairol Professional, CND, Moroccan Oil, Orly, Repêchage, RUSK, TIGI, and Wahl to indie trend-setters such as Body Up Pro, Hair Flairs, Rock Your Hair, and Young Nails; ISSE Long Beach always has a diverse exhibitor base, and 2012 was no exception. On-site sales and reservations for 2013 exhibit space were also very strong as exhibitors did not want to miss out.

ISSE Long Beach also featured more than 183 complimentary educational opportunities that were included as part of the ISSE Long Beach ticket. The NAHA Stage, which featured many past NAHA winners such as Damien Carney, Steve Elias, Jake Thompson, and Charlie Price, was continually at room capacity. Beauty professionals wanted to learn first-hand from these individuals on how to conceptualize and create a winning NAHA entry.

Many of the same features that make ISSE Long Beach a success will also be incorporated into ISSE Midwest. The ISSE Midwest show, which runs November 4 – 5, 2012 in the Chicagoland area, will not serve as the industry’s much needed and requested Fall/holiday show.

ISSE Long Beach 2012 Show Highlights

Expansion of the EstheticsAmerica & Wellness Pavilion: ISSE Long Beach 2012 saw the expansion of its increasingly popular EstheticsAmerica & Wellness Pavilion, which provides a dedicated environment for skin care, cosmetics, massage, wellness and the latest in treatments and education for these rapidly expanding segments of the beauty industry. CIDESCO USA education was also offered and continues to be a desirable option for many esthetic professionals looking to continue their education. PBA aims to continue the growth of the pavilion for the 2013 show with even more esthetic brands and classes.

New Hair Competitions Were A Success:For 2012, ISSE Long Beach offered its first hair competitions. Hosted by Mark Goodman, immediate past President of PBA’s Beauty Professional/NCA section, and open to students and licensed professionals, the hair competitions allowed individuals to show off their skills and win cash and career prestige. For the licensed professional (senior) division, the competitions served as tryouts for the OMC HairWorld USA team for 2012. The members of Team USA will be selected and announced within the next few weeks. While honors were given to the top seven in each category, the winners included:

Fashion on Long Hair – Day Style: Edda Coscioni

Fashion on Long Hair – Evening Style: Edda Coscioni

Technical – Creative: Svitlana Vechera

Technical – Hair by Night: Svitlana Vechera

Student – Bridal: Erdenesuvd Jargalsaikhan

Student – Fantasy Inspired by Nature: Jeanne Collado

Student – Ladies Trend Cut, Color, and Style: Katey Browne

Nail Competitions Bring Out New and Seasoned Entrants: The ISSE Long Beach nail competitions, sponsored by NailPro Magazine, featured an array of new and seasoned entrants. Winners were awarded cash and prizes depending on placements. Winners include:

NAHA Stage Experiences Capacity Crowds: The North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) continues to be the industry’s premier photographic hairstyling competition and awards ceremony. The ISSE Long Beach NAHA Stage featured past NAHA winners and multi-category finalists in an intimate setting where attendees learned up close and personal from some of the industry’s biggest stars on how to take a winning NAHA collection from concept through submission. Presenters included Damien Carney, Tony Ricci, John Simpson, Jake Thompson, Charlie Price, The Teals featuring Steve Elias, and others. Every class was completely full or very close due to overwhelming demand.

Awards for Top Booths Spark Competition: Many companies launched new and/or expanded booths. From layout and signage updates to complete makeovers, firms invested in their image. Launched in 2011, ISSE Long Beach awards top honors for booths, which come with free advertisements in pre and onsite materials for the 2013 show. Winning booths at ISSE Long Beach 2012 include:

Best Island/Peninsula Booth: TIGI

Best Large Linear Booth: Doll hair care

Best Linear Booth: Trestles Hair Extensions

Revamped Stage Concepts: Focused on continually evolving to meet the needs of the industry, ISSE Long Beach revamped some of its stage concepts and streamlined offerings to help attendees better access presentations and maximize their time at the show. Center Stage (formerly International Fashion Theater) and Stage Right (formerly Technical Theater) were again popular with attendees and featured top creative teams and educators from across the industry.

ISSE Long Beach and ISSE Midwest (November 4 – 5, 2012) are open to licensed salon/spa professionals, cosmetology students and instructors only. To maintain a professional atmosphere, attendees must present proof of license and a valid photo ID. For additional information on ISSE Long Beach and ISSE Midwest, please visit probeauty.org/isse.

ISSE MIDWESTMOVES TO FALL 2012

Responding to the requests of multiple beauty manufacturers, distributors, salon owners and hairstylists for a show option in the Chicago market during the Fall/holiday season, ISSE Midwest will move from Spring to Fall for 2012. ISSE Midwest will deliver the same level of professionalism, quality education, leading exhibitors, industry celebrations and large industry attendance that have become the industry standard at PBA’s family of events. ISSE Midwest will be held at the industry favorite Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois – just a short distance from downtown Chicago and O’Hare International Airport.